title: The estimation of mRNA content by poly(u) hybridization.
abstract: The sequence of poly(adenylic) acid, present at the 3' end of the majority of eukaryotic mRNA molecules, forms the basis of a sensitive technique for the estimation of mRNA content in nucleic acid samples. Under suitable conditions, poly(A) will form RNA-RNA hybrids with poly(U) in vitro. The poly (A) content of RNA samples can therefore be detected by hybridization with saturating amounts of (3)H-poly(U) (1,2). Following the removal of excess (3)H-poly(U) by ribonuclease treatment, the hybrids can be collected by TCA precipitation and quantified by scintillation counting. If the results are compared with data obtained from a parallel experiment using known amounts of poly (A), a value for the poly (A) content of any number of RNA preparations can be obtained. The technique can be used to detect less than 10(-10)g of poly(A).
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, The Hatfield Polytechnic, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Slater